Benetech Announces Major International Expansion to Help End the Global Book Famine

Benetech Announces Major International Expansion to Help End the Global Book Famine

New partnerships, national outreach, and local language interfaces across global north and global south enable inclusive access to education and information

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 16, 2019 — Benetech, the leading software for social good nonprofit, today announced a major expansion in the organization’s inclusive education initiatives to provide access to ebooks for people with reading barriers worldwide. New partnerships include organizations such as Vision Australia, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the UK, National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), Canada’s Center for Equitable Library Access (CELA) and the Dubai government. Through this collaboration, Benetech is establishing accessible libraries, powered by Bookshare technology that enable inclusive access to information. Upon the launch of these new libraries, Bookshare, the world’s largest collection of accessible ebooks, will have over one million accessible books under management.

This announcement comes on Global Accessibility Awareness
Day, a day dedicated to digital access and inclusion for the more than one
billion people worldwide with disabilities and impairments. With features such
as searchable text, synchronized text and audio, highlighting, and customizable
font size and contrast, Bookshare’s digital ebooks give people with reading
barriers like visual impairments, dyslexia, or a physical disability like
cerebral palsy, new opportunities for learning and literacy.

“Accessing print material can be a challenge for people who
are blind or have low vision or live with any other print disability, so it’s
always exciting when we have the opportunity to expand what our members have
access to,” said David Speyer, general manager of commercial and national
services at Vision Australia.

In addition to increasing access to information through this
growing network of global libraries, Benetech is also expanding Bookshare
national partnerships, membership work and local language interfaces in Africa
and South Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines
and Kenya. Under the Marrakesh Treaty, which enables the sharing of accessible
books across 82 countries and recently came into effect in the United States,
over 90,000 books from Bookshare’s huge collection that were previously
unavailable due to geographic restriction can now be shared across borders.

“eKitabu is thrilled to join Benetech in celebrating
Global Accessibility Awareness Day given their work to champion the Marrakesh
VIP Treaty globally, increasing access to learning materials for people with
print disabilities worldwide and bringing us closer to inclusive and quality
education for all,” said Matthew Utterback, co-founder, eKitabu, a provider of
accessible digital content, software and innovative programs for education in
Africa.

“We envision a future
where every person has the opportunity to read and learn,” said Brad Turner,
Benetech vice president and general manager, global education and literacy. “As
the Marrakesh Treaty is ratified by more countries, the global impact of this
network of accessible libraries will continue to grow. The movement of books
across borders, facilitated by Bookshare’s powerful technology infrastructure,
enables inclusive access to information regardless of geography or ability.”

To learn more about partnering with Benetech, contact info@benetech.org

About Benetech

Benetech is a nonprofit that empowers communities with
software for social good. Benetech’s work transforms how people with
disabilities read and learn, enables human rights defenders and civilians to
pursue truth and justice, and connects people to the services they need to live
and prosper. Benetech is constantly pursuing the next big social impact. Visit www.benetech.org.

About Bookshare

Bookshare, a Benetech initiative, makes reading easier with the world’s largest ebook library for people with reading barriers. Members can access over 700,000 titles and read their way with specialized formats that enable users to customize their reading experience. Bookshare has delivered over 14 million ebooks in 47 languages to more than 650,000 members worldwide. Visit www.bookshare.org

We’ve been thrilled by Benetech’s ability to repeatedly reach scale in bridging Silicon Valley tech and social impact, and I’m proud to have supported them for the past 10 years.

Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman, The Skoll Foundation

Benetech’s credibility as a nonprofit focused on empowering social change is unique among the tech community. Their scalable technology solutions are recognized as driving real, sustainable social impact.

Kevin Lo, President, Genalyte, Inc.

Benetech has a long history of successful technology development for social good in California and around the world.

Peter Manzo, President and CEO, United Ways of California

We invested in Benetech Service Net because it enables us to more efficiently and accurately provide information on the community services our vulnerable patients need once they are discharged from our acute settings.

Pablo Bravo, Dignity Health Vice President of Community Health

As classrooms rapidly embrace digital learning environments, Benetech Mathshare promises to usher in a new area of digital math that better meets the needs of today’s learners and tomorrow’s employers.